When Should I Start Watching For Price Drops?

We booked our cruise but it isn't until November 2015 (ahhhh the torture of waiting!), but I was curious to know when I should be checking the website daily to watch for price drops. Considering it's over a year away at this point I'm assuming there aren't any going to be happening any time soon...but when SHOULD I start watching?

I still consider myself a new cruiser and I've learned SO much from you guys on here, so I know many of you might be able to help me out (:

Personally I check 2 or 3 times per day, it only takes minute or two.

I have caught price drops, excursion changes, and the latest one was the Valor cruise cancelled.

If you have the time check as often as you feel you need to.

I think you will get many different answers and reasons on here but that is mine...

We booked our cruise but it isn't until November 2015 (ahhhh the torture of waiting!), but I was curious to know when I should be checking the website daily to watch for price drops. Considering it's over a year away at this point I'm assuming there aren't any going to be happening any time soon...but when SHOULD I start watching?

I still consider myself a new cruiser and I've learned SO much from you guys on here, so I know many of you might be able to help me out (:

I begin checking as soon after I booked.

Whenever Carnival sends me an email about a new promotion, I especially check on those days. If not, I usually check once a day or so.

Personally I check 2 or 3 times per day, it only takes minute or two.

I have caught price drops, excursion changes, and the latest one was the Valor cruise cancelled.

If you have the time check as often as you feel you need to.

 

I think you will get many different answers and reasons on here but that is mine...

I agree with this response. On the most recent cruise, I booked in Jan and didn't see price drops until 10 days before (late August). On one booked for Dec, I saw one the next day and just yesterday with the latest promotion.

So, if you have the time, do check a couple of times a day.

Early & often. Sometimes the prices go down :) sometimes they go up :(

I check once or twice a day from the moment I book. Now our next cruise has only gone up since we booked it :( but I certainly don't want to miss a drop either! On our last cruise even though we did not book ES I was still checking and discovered that balconies dropped to $20 more than we paid for our interior. I called, paid the $20 and we got the balcony! So watch other prices too, you never know what deals you can discover.

I start checking immediately, it doesn't take but a minute -- my routine is to check first thing in the morning.

On our October 11 cruise There was a drop the very next day after I booked! (Then, no more for 9 months! :p )

We booked our next cruise a year & a half in advance. There was a big price drop about a month after we booked, then price increases for over a year, and then another bigger drop last month after I had stopped checking. Thank goodness one of the members of our roll-call posted that they got one and I looked at ours.

Keep looking on a regular basis and keep an eye on the roll-call because it can happen at any time.

I check a few times a day, also, but found that my price didn't start really dropping until 4-5 months before sail away.

Good luck!!

While it was still early I usually checked a couple times per week, but not usually daily. Usually if I knew there was a sale coming up, I would check before the sale started, then once during the sale and then again after the sale was over. Around final payment, then I went to daily. As it got really close to time, I would check more than once per day some days. It does not take long and can be kind of fun.

Start looking right away. Booked a May '15 trip in June '14. Found a price drop and OBC worth about $600 3 weeks later. Price has gone up now. Sometimes it's just seeing it at the right time, because they don't always last long.

If the price is close to what you paid would do it about daily but if say $ 100 higher perhaps once a week.

I begin checking as soon after I booked.

 

Whenever Carnival sends me an email about a new promotion, I especially check on those days. If not, I usually check once a day or so.

That's exactly what I do. We're booked on the Pride in May 2015 and I've seen a $20 drop but then like the next week it went up $120.

No matter how far in advance I book, I check daily. Twice/three times daily. I love catching price drops and don't intend on missing any that may come.

I check once or twice a day from the moment I book. Now our next cruise has only gone up since we booked it :( but I certainly don't want to miss a drop either! On our last cruise even though we did not book ES I was still checking and discovered that balconies dropped to $20 more than we paid for our interior. I called, paid the $20 and we got the balcony! So watch other prices too, you never know what deals you can discover.

Same thing happened to us. No ES but balcony dropped to $20 over our OV. No brainer! We went from OV to balcony guarantee to picking our room. Finally the price of Spa Balcony dropped low enough that upgrading to it was only $80 more... now we get use of the spa with would have been another $249 extra.

We booked our Nov 3 cruise in May. I tried to check rates on a daily basis, nothing better popped up until 3 weeks ago. 100$ OBC (woot!). Rates went back up since then, but today dropped back down again to our current rate. I will continue to check a few times a day up til 2 days before sailing. Just never know!

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if google cruise fare tracker, there is a website that cost you $1 that will track it for you and email you an alert. I don't waste my time every day :eek: tracking it does it for me :D I can not name it here as it is against the rules. Done this for 7 cruises now and i have caught every price drop

What is the easiest way to check for a price drops? Probably a stupid question, but when checking for price drops...am I comparing it to my current cruise rate with or without taxes and fees? Thanks in advance.

I use this one: http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/FareViewer/

The prices quoted are without taxes and fees so compare to your current rate without the taxes and fees.

Good luck!

Thank you all for your replies! Now I know it's never too early to start checking!

I'm going to start checking at least once a day.

I'm really hoping for a good price drop where I can just get OBC because that way I can just use it for drinks. My 'budget' for drinks this cruise was only $200 so if we get any OBC price drops it will be awesome! :p

I use this one: http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/FareViewer/

 

The prices quoted are without taxes and fees so compare to your current rate without the taxes and fees.

 

Good luck!

[blondemoment]So when I put in two travelers is the amount they are giving me for 2 people? Because over $800 for one person for our room is almost twice what we paid.[/blondemoment]

YIKES! Ignore me, I had a bit of a blonde moment there, heh...

Same thing happened to us. No ES but balcony dropped to $20 over our OV. No brainer! We went from OV to balcony guarantee to picking our room. Finally the price of Spa Balcony dropped low enough that upgrading to it was only $80 more... now we get use of the spa with would have been another $249 extra.

Okay so I have a question about getting rooms on the spa level. The interiors and others...so if you book one of these rooms what are the perks that come with it? From the way you phrased it it seems like people who stay in those rooms get access others don't?

Sorry, I still have so much to learn! Hopefully one day I can be helping other lost newbies like myself...I'm going on cruise 3 so I'm slowly getting there, hehe...only 20+ more to go.

I will also add that it looks like cruises that are around 30 days out seem to have lowest rates. I've been watching rates for Oct to compare with my early Nov cruise and they are now $100 cheaper when a month ago rates were identical. Plus they include room selection. I am hoping this holds true next month as well. With that I will have enough OBC to pay for Cheers and I will be one happy cruiser! Keep checkin!

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Let me ask this, has anyone tried to get a price drop since Carnival has changed it to the form on their website?

The reason I ask, their form reads "All Lowest Price Guarantee claim forms must be submitted online within 48 hours of booking your cruise and verified by Carnival in order to qualify for the onboard credit."

Before this form, I would call and it wouldn't be a problem but now when I call, Carnival says you must fill out the form and Carnival will email you within 2 days (which is a lie).

My spa balcony on the Splendor has dropped $170 per person this week since I booked in January of this year

Personally I check 2 or 3 times per day, it only takes minute or two.

I have caught price drops, excursion changes, and the latest one was the Valor cruise cancelled.

If you have the time check as often as you feel you need to.

 

I think you will get many different answers and reasons on here but that is mine...

I'm the same way. 2-3 times a day until I get about a month from sailing. Then, I start checking at least 5 times a day. It sounds crazy, but I had a cruise in 2012, I submitted 3 price drops in one day.

I go even further on my October cruise and I am counting available cabins. It gives me an idea what my chances are for further price drops.

Call me crazy or OCD, but I have $552 OBC so far and that doesn't include the price drops I got before final payment.